Story and Discourse in the Analysis of Narrative by Jonathan Culler

In "Story and Discourse in the Analysis of Narrative," Jonathan Culler explores how narratives are structured and how readers experience them. He draws on ideas from structuralist theorists like Gérard Genette and Roland Barthes to distinguish between the "story" (what happens) and the "discourse" (how it is told). Culler emphasizes that understanding narrative requires more than just examining the events—it involves analyzing the form, structure, and techniques of narration that shape how stories are understood.

Culler begins by clarifying the distinction between story and discourse. The story refers to the chronological sequence of events that make up the narrative's content—what actually happens in the world of the text. In contrast, the discourse is the way the story is organized, presented, and communicated to the reader—the narrative's form or expression. This includes choices in narration, order, voice, perspective, and repetition.

He argues that many traditional analyses of literature focus only on the story, treating the narrative as if it were just a set of events. However, Culler insists that much of a narrative’s meaning comes from how it is told. For instance, flashbacks, foreshadowing, unreliable narrators, or multiple points of view all affect how readers interpret a story. These are all aspects of discourse.

Culler also discusses the idea that narrative meaning is not just a matter of plot but of interpretive conventions. He points out that readers bring expectations and cultural knowledge to a text, which shape how they perceive and understand narratives. This suggests that narratives operate within systems of meaning, and these systems (or codes) influence how we make sense of stories.

Additionally, Culler critiques overly rigid structuralist models that try to reduce all narratives to fixed patterns or functions. While he appreciates the insights structuralism brings, he warns that such models can overlook the richness and variety of actual literary works. Instead, he advocates for a more flexible approach that considers how narratives engage readers through strategies like delay, suspense, repetition, and framing.

In conclusion, Culler’s essay emphasizes the importance of analyzing both what a narrative says (story) and how it says it (discourse). He shows that narratives are not simply containers for events but are shaped by formal techniques that influence meaning and reader response. By focusing on discourse, we can better understand the complexity of narrative structures and the interpretive acts involved in reading. Culler’s work remains influential for its clear articulation of narrative theory and its insistence on the active role of form and interpretation in storytelling.

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